Advice to Center Directors

Lama Yeshe used to often say it is not up to the mind, it is up to karma. He quite often used to say that or just to accept the situation when things are not happening as you want them to. If something can be remedied or managed then you can try. If there is an opportunity to do something, then you do it. There is no point in being unhappy in this life. If there is something which cannot be remedied at all, then what is the point of disliking it. There is no benefit so it is better to accept it.

If we think of our activities and responsibilities as a burden, then stress and unhappiness come. Then, even when you are doing your job, your mind is not happy. If you look at it as a burden, then lung and stress come and the mind becomes so unhappy. If you look at all your activities and responsibilities as an opportunity to be useful to other sentient beings, as a positive opportunity, thinking how you are so fortunate to be able to benefit others, then that is one technique which might stop you squeezing the mind and getting lung. Lung can also bring high blood pressure and that affects your health. Thinking this other way brings joy and happiness in one’s heart; so, this might help.

It is essential always to remember to keep a mind of bodhicitta. That should be the main refuge in life. And think that what you are doing is according to the wishes and advice of the guru. Always think how sentient beings are most kind and precious, and are suffering. The whole purpose of this life is to serve others and to ensure they have happiness in all future lives, and to give one’s own life to sentient beings, who are most kind and precious, and who are countless. Develop your inner qualities and realizations of the path. In this way, you are able to offer deeper and better success and more extensive qualities to others; to liberate others from sufferings and cause them to achieve not only temporary but ultimate happiness.

His Holiness says: “As long as the sky exists and suffering beings exist, I will abide and I will eliminate the sufferings of sentient beings as much as possible.”

In everyday life practise mindfulness as much as possible. Think: Everyone is wish-fulfilling for all my happiness, so I myself will be a wish-fulfilling jewel for all sentient beings.

You should try to check if someone knows anyone in the planning department to get an idea of how they view the center. If someone from the planning department does come to check the center, you should apologize. You can explain that it was built under a different director. It is hard to keep it quiet if they do come, but it is possible to do a puja to prevent them from noticing.

You never know when someone can complain about the center. For example, somebody might suddenly get angry at the director, and then complain to the planning department. Therefore, it is very, very important that the center perform pujas continuously—not just when the center’s luck is down, but all the time for the success of the center, and also for the success of people who do retreat, study, and practice at the center. This helps to prevent obstacles, and helps people to be successful in their practice.

The center should recite daily the Heart Sutra, praises to the 21 Taras, and the prayer to remove obstacles, which follows directly after the Heart Sutra and includes the Lion-face Dakini mantra. Every month, besides the normal practices recommended for centers, you should definitely do Tara Puja. From time to time, it is good to do incense puja.

When an actual difficulty happens, you can do the following practices. One is Dala Pandu. This is a puja you perform when you are attacked. By doing this, you energize the white protectors, or devas, that you are born with. Performing this puja increases their power while at the same time it decreases the power of the enemy’s devas. When the enemy’s devas are more powerful, you are defeated. By weakening the deva of the person attacking you, then the person is weakened.

Recite the Diamond Cutter Sutra. This helps when there is a court case. Normally the Heart Sutra is very powerful, but when it is very serious, recite the Diamond Cutter Sutra. Even if you are not involved in a court case, even if there is just a risk of one, you can still recite this sutra.

You should recite the prayer of whichever is the center’s protector as much as you can. That will help the center continue without obstacles, and function well.

The most important thing to avoid receiving problems from others is to recite the prayer called “Gyalsen Tse Moi Punggyen.” You can recite the Tibetan phonetics, but you must pronounce them well. It would be better to have it translated and then recite it in English.

Medicine Buddha practice is very powerful for overcoming problems, and for achieving success. The center should be doing this monthly anyway. It is important for retreat centers and other centers which have practitioners to do Medicine Buddha practice, to help those practicing there.

My most dear Jamie,
I hope you are well and blissed out.

As you know, because we and all beings still live in samsara and have anger, attachment, ignorance, and all the mental garbage, have all these wrong views, that is why we need Dharma centers, which are a place to learn, to practice, to purify and collect merits, to inspire each other, to develop wisdom and compassion, and to achieve liberation and enlightenment. Because we are in samsara and have problems, we need Dharma centers, that is why Dharma centers exist.

Don't you think it is better to think this way rather than to think: because we have Dharma centers, we have problems?

Please give my regards and big love to Jenny and John and my wonderful brother Nicky, who is always full of energy and smiles. I hope he is still like that. If he has any more hats I would love to have a few hats with mantras on, not important to have billions, but just a few to give as presents to people.

My regards and lots of love to you and your family.
With much love and prayers...

My very dear Katya and Nick,
How are you? It was so good to see you taking such good care of all those people at the retreat. You are both great examples of center directors, with your kind hearts, love and respect, and caring. Also, you are smiling all the time. This doesn’t cost anything, but it gives much happiness to people coming to the center. It makes them open their hearts, and enjoy the center, and enjoy the Dharma. That brings them to enlightenment.

With much love and prayers...

The chairperson of an FPMT Center should be nice and easygoing from the beginning. Don’t listen to other people’s gossip about others’ faults. If you listen, you will become upset with those people, then you will have a bad relationship with them, thus causing difficulties in relating to people. Then, you can’t succeed in running the organization.

You should see others as blank paper, be completely neutral, and learn about people through friendly communications. Even with the same person, due to different karmic connections, some people will think this person is OK, some will think they are very good, while others will think they are bad. It’s important to communicate with people in a friendly way and judge people peacefully according to their ideas and actions from your own experiences with them.

If you encounter any legal problems, you should consult with FPMT International Office. Whenever problems come up, it’s very important to analyze the situation first. It’s easier to run things this way.

Don’t be too fussy, just take it easy! Don’t be bothered by small things. The accumulation of small things can make a big deal and make you feel bad, and then that worsens the situation and your relationship with people. Try to treat everything in a smooth, peaceful, and harmonious way. Whenever problems come up, try to analyze and resolve them from the very beginning. Don’t wait until a small problem turns into a disaster and becomes very hard to resolve. This advice is very important.

The motivation for being the chairperson is to benefit others, to spread the holy Dharma, bring prosperity to the Buddha Dharma, and bring sentient beings to enlightenment.

Try to deal with everything in a peaceful way in general. However, it’s necessary to be tough sometimes, according to the situation. This latter is external skillful means.

To manage a center, a family, and a country requires compassion and the wisdom to analyze and distinguish advantages and disadvantages. It’s very important to run things in a practical way. Compassion alone is not sufficient, you must apply wisdom too. Don’t ignore the big benefit and go with the small benefit. Sometimes a situation can bring small benefits in the beginning, but turns into a disaster later on. This is not what we want. Try to be wise and think in a large way for the long term with a broad mind.

This is the same as running a family, a country, and the world. You must be practical and run things with both compassion and wisdom. You can’t solve problems properly without wisdom. Presidents and Prime Ministers need both compassion and wisdom.

Try to get to know everybody while you are new, as then you can have a new, fresh relationship with them. You don't need to follow what previous people have said and fall into the same situation as them.

My very dear (director),
Thank you very much for your great dedication and service to me and to the center, which is service to sentient beings and to the teachings of the Buddha.

My experience when meeting you is that you always have a calm quality and are easy to communicate with. You may not be involved with sadhanas and mantras, but your heart is very good and genuine. The purpose of sadhanas, prayers, and mantras is to make you into a good human being with a good heart. From being a good human being with a good heart, it is possible to become a holy being. From being a holy being, it is possible to become a Buddha. Then you can end all sentient beings’ suffering.

During this period, the center’s work is very important. This is a very crucial stage in the center’s life, in order for it to be able to benefit others on a large scale, benefiting thousands of others, for many years to come.

I deeply appreciate your having accepted this job and doing it seriously and sincerely.

I will send a separate letter to the other member of the center’s committee who wrote to me about you.